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Bird Droppings Etched In Clearcoat

upperdecker

New member
Location
MD
First time posting... Just took delivery of a GTI Autobahn this week, white silver. After washing the vehicle, I noticed that there are about 10 blemishes on the hood which are almost certainly bird dropping "scars". Odd, absolutely no such marks on the roof. Maybe the roof was covered in plastic but not the hood while the car sat in the dealer's lot?

Does anyone know of a reputable detailer in the Baltimore area whom I could trust to polish this out? Or am I going about this wrong, and I should approach the dealer about repairing this? My guess is they will say it happened on my watch, which is of course impossible since my car has been in the garage since I bought it.

Any thoughts most appreciated.
 

vbrad26

Autocross Champion
Location
St. Petersburg FL
Car(s)
'15 CSG GTI 2DR M/T
The clear on these cars seem to be weak.
Mine got etched from bird poo in a matter of hours.

I would not bother with the dealer.
Instead, I would find a good detailer and consider having the car ceramic coated.
 

Hoon

Autocross Champion
Location
Rhode Island
Grab a harbor freight DA polisher (item 69924) a decent backing plate and microfiber finishing pad (Meguiars is fine), and some Meguiars Finishing Wax (mildly abrasive).

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D30...ishing+wax&dpPl=1&dpID=41xtBTtvxBL&ref=plSrch

Less than $125 and you will have the polisher when you're done. Between the DA polisher and the mildly abrasive wax, you'd really have to make an effort to damage the clear coat.
 

upperdecker

New member
Location
MD
Grab a harbor freight DA polisher (item 69924) a decent backing plate and microfiber finishing pad (Meguiars is fine), and some Meguiars Finishing Wax (mildly abrasive).

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D30...ishing+wax&dpPl=1&dpID=41xtBTtvxBL&ref=plSrch

Less than $125 and you will have the polisher when you're done. Between the DA polisher and the mildly abrasive wax, you'd really have to make an effort to damage the clear coat.

Thanks for the recommendations! Won't I need a polish, or does the Meguiars finishing wax have sufficient cut to polish out the blemish?
 

Hoon

Autocross Champion
Location
Rhode Island
Thanks for the recommendations! Won't I need a polish, or does the Meguiars finishing wax have sufficient cut to polish out the blemish?

The Finishing Wax has a very mild cut. Depending on the severity you may need more, but bird droppings usually aren't severe.

A good idea might be to grab this kit. Paired with the Harbor Freight polisher, it has all the necessities for paint correction.

https://www.autogeek.net/da-microfiber-starter-kit-6in.html

A few bucks more, but you can handle whatever correction/polishing jobs you need to. For future waxing you can use the polisher with the finishing pad to wax the car, but I would buy a non abrasive wax to go with it. Don't use the finishing wax for routine waxing, maybe once/year as an annual paint maintenance.
 

PouncingPanzer1

Go Kart Champion
The clear on these cars seem to be weak.
Mine got etched from bird poo in a matter of hours.

I would not bother with the dealer.
Instead, I would find a good detailer and consider having the car ceramic coated.
It's very weak. Installing and keeping up with a coating was my attempt to cure this. It helped, some.
 

The Fed

Old Guys Rule
Location
Florida
I once worked where I parked under where pigeons roosted. I couldn't complain because I had a reserved space in front of our front door. The perils of promotions. I had the car professionally buffed, and the marks didn't come out despite cutting through the clearcoat. I wouldn't do it yourself. See if the dealer will as a courtesy.
 

adam1991

Banned
Location
USA
First time posting... Just took delivery of a GTI Autobahn this week, white silver. After washing the vehicle, I noticed that there are about 10 blemishes on the hood which are almost certainly bird dropping "scars".

I discovered a long time ago, when buying a car--new or used--ask to have it so you can hand wash it before you sign the papers. You'll see EVERYTHING.
 

cruzmisl

Ready to race!
Location
PNW
OP, I had the same issue with the pure white. I buffed it out myself, but a detail shop could do it too. I'll also echo that the clear is weak. bird, bee, tree droppings all leave marks pretty much unless immediately removed.
 

upperdecker

New member
Location
MD
Not sure if this is against forum protocol - I don't want to clog the board with useless posts - but I wanted to thank everyone who took time to reply and offer help. If a thank you post is frowned upon, I apologize, but at least my mother will be happy with my manners!

I think I'm going to take the plunge and buy a DA polisher, as Hoon suggested. I've been meaning to try my hand at paint correction for about 3 years, ever since I watched a couple of junkman videos on YouTube. Being able to purchase a polisher for under $70 essentially eliminates one of the chief barriers to entry.

So, again, many thanks to all.
 
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The Fed

Old Guys Rule
Location
Florida
Grab a harbor freight DA polisher (item 69924) a decent backing plate and microfiber finishing pad (Meguiars is fine), and some Meguiars Finishing Wax (mildly abrasive).

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D30...ishing+wax&dpPl=1&dpID=41xtBTtvxBL&ref=plSrch

Less than $125 and you will have the polisher when you're done. Between the DA polisher and the mildly abrasive wax, you'd really have to make an effort to damage the clear coat.

Which backing plate do you use? I think I'll try the DA instead of my direct drive polisher. Yours seems to be lighter.
 
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